]]>Groundwork Portland and the Pacific Northwest Social Form (PNWSF) invite one and all to join a march for Clean Rivers For Clean Communities banner drop on Sunday, September 28th, 12PM at Pioneer Square. We acknowledge that the Portland Harbor Superfund Site is the result of more than a century of industrial use along the Willamette River. Water and sediments along Portland Harbor are contaminated with many hazardous substances. These compounds have been found to be harmful to human health and the environment. Recently, on September 16th, 2014, the Oregon Health Authority issued a health advisory alert based on a visual observation of scum on the Willamette River, extending from the southern end of Ross Island downstream to the Fremont Bridge in Multnomah County. To read more, click here.

Access to a clean river, human health, and living wage jobs in our city are compromised by 100 years of industrial contamination. The time has arrived to stand up for change for a new vision for our river and city by making sure that all decisions are made through an equitable lens. One way that cleanup of the river can help bring greater economic equity to our community is by connecting living wage jobs to those that need them most. Millions of dollars of public and private funds will go toward cleaning up the Willamette River; we believe these should be used first and foremost to train and employ workers that call the Portland region their home. In particular, low-income residents and communities of color – those that have been burdened by decades of river-related pollution – should have priority for training and hiring in a variety of related sectors.

Join us on September 28th at 12pm at Pioneer Square to let our city know that clean rivers and healthy communities are priorities for greater Portland, Oregon residents. Everyone deserves a livable community, free from toxic exposure. For more information about Portland Harbor superfund, see links below.

When: Sunday, September 28th, 2014 @ 12:00-2:00pm

Where: The MARCH will begin at Pioneer Square and proceed to the Hawthorne Bridge for a banner drop.

Who: You, your family and friends are welcome. This is an all ages event, and will be accessible to people of all abilities.

This march is the grand finale of the Pacific Northwest Social Forum (PNWSF), a convergence taking place in Portland from September 26-28. The purpose of the PNWSF is to promote social and environmental justice movements whose primary work takes place in the Pacific Northwest. Organizers’ goal for this assembly is to build solidarity and unified action toward social, economic, and environmental justice in the Pacific Northwest. PNSWF is a part of the U.S. Social Forum (USSF) and worldwide social forum. The USSF will convene in 2016 in multiple locations, with a National Peoples Movement Assembly in 2015. Click here for more information and registration.

Roy Pascoe of Right 2 Survive speaking on the Dirty Side of Portland Bus Tour. Photo by James Reddick.

“Portlanders are proud of their city’s environmental pedigree. But under the green veneer lies a legacy of pollution that continues to have an impact throughout the city.

In an unusual bus tour Sunday afternoon, nonprofits Groundwork Portland and Know Your City called attention to “The Dirty Side of Portland,” where contaminants have made certain areas dangerous to the public’s health.” –James Reddick

The Green Team Crew Leader is responsible for working with Program Director to plan and coordinate the 2014 summer Green Team program. Responsibilities include supervision of Green Team participants. This position requires a person with energy and creativity, a person that wants to apply leadership skills and set a positive example in a group setting with young people between the ages 14- 21. The Crew Leaders should have an interest in getting their hands dirty outdoors, including walking, building, digging, environmental restoration, and have a willingness to learn basic safety and construction skills.

Duties & Essential Functions:
• Assist with supervision of all Green Team participants in coordination with Program Director/adult supervisor. An 8-person crew would be the largest group the SummerWorks youth would supervise independently.

• Assist with driving the 15-passenger vehicle for the Green Team to project sites.

• Help schedule program activities and coordinate transportation to sites.

• Support Green Team Program communications with Green Team participants and community by helping to write summaries of activities on website or communications to Groundwork Portland contacts and Green Team parental guardians.

• Monitor the performance and leadership development of Green Team participants, in coordination with adult supervisor.

• Help co-facilitate program evaluations through group discussion and surveys.

• Work with adult supervisor to keep in mind personal safety and safety of participants at all times.

QualificationsThe ideal applicant will have the following characteristics and experience:

]]>Groundwork Portland recently received media time with the Oregonian news paper, touching on the topic of a future plan for brownfield redevelopment site in East Portland and community opposition for a proposed development by a corporate chain to build a drive-through near the corner of Division and 124th avenue. The articles below shares some of Groundwork Portland’s work in East Portland as well as some thoughtful comments from youth involved in Groundwork’s Youth Action Board and Green Team.

]]>http://www.groundworkportland.org/in-heart-of-east-portland-neighborhood-in-need-of-jobs-is-mcdonalds-the-answer-2/feed/0Portland Harbor cleanup to see more diverse community input as result of granthttp://www.groundworkportland.org/portland-harbor-cleanup-to-see-more-diverse-community-input-as-result-of-grant/
http://www.groundworkportland.org/portland-harbor-cleanup-to-see-more-diverse-community-input-as-result-of-grant/#commentsTue, 10 Jun 2014 18:06:15 +0000http://www.groundworkportland.org/?p=649…

]]>“The Kaiser Permanente Community Fund has announced a $50,000 donation to a project seeking to provide more diverse community representation in discussions about the cleanup of the Portland Harbor Superfund Site.
The hazardous waste site is the result of decades of industrial use along the Willamette River and in 2000 was made a top priority of the Environmental Protection Agency.
Kaiser gave the grant to local nonprofit Groundwork Portland, which will use the money to expand the Portland Harbor Community Coalition, formed in June. The goal is to provide more education to the community and add more diverse views to cleanup plans.”

]]>“In the grand scheme of Portland’s geography, the scruffy, small rectangular lot at 822 N.E. Emerson St. is little more than a speck on the map. But a coalition of neighbors, environmentalists, artists, teachers and students are transforming the vacant property into something more important: a bridge between what this stretch of Stumptown was and will be.”

Calling all youth and young adults, ages 14-21 who are unafraid to work and learn outside.

Groundwork Portland is recruiting Green Team Members for its Summer Program. The program offers part-time, paid positions for youth and young adults age 14-21 from the Portland metro area and surrounding areas. Participants will work on local environmental projects, construction projects, and will learn about how to clean polluted soil and water, how to act on environmental and social justice issues, and become community leaders.

]]>Groundwork Portland is looking to hire a VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America) member immediately. This person would join a growing network of professionals from across the country who are committed to national service and to fostering environmental stewardship by developing opportunities for underserved populations to play, learn, serve, and ultimately seek employment on public lands. The DOI/VISTA Team is committed to serving youth, especially at risk youth, by building early connections to public lands and the environment, and teaching job-skills and experience that will last a lifetime and prepare participants for future employment in conservation related fields.

The DOI/VISTA Team is an innovative partnership between the Department of the Interior (DOI), and VISTA. Focusing on the systemic causes of poverty in underserved communities, VISTAs commit to one year of full-time service as they address specific issues that propel the cycle of poverty in the communities they serve.

This VISTA will build the organizational capacity of Groundwork Portland that utilize public lands to alleviate long-term systemic poverty.

• Student Loan Forbearance during Service (Interest Paid by CNCS upon completion of service)

• Professional development; Focus Area Training; and hands-on experience

• Relocation expenses for members traveling over 50 miles to serve are covered by CNCS

Qualifications:

• Must be a US Citizen, National, or Lawful Permanent Resident.
• Must have received at least a Bachelor’s Degree.
• Must submit to a Criminal Background Screening.
• Must demonstrate a commitment to community service.

Community Need

Youth unemployment is an issue that the VISTA would address. The national rate for young adults ages 16 to 24 has become 16.3 percent as of July 2013 (Huffington Post) and17.8 percent in Oregon (www.jobs.younginvincibles.org), with youth of color disproportionately impacted. Groundwork Portland provides summer employment with job training in the sustainability and environmental fields for youth from low-income backgrounds and communities of color in the Portland metro area. Multnomah County, the City of Portland, National Park Service and private partners are partnered with Groundwork Portland to create more career opportunities for Green Team graduates.

Vista Project Goal

The project “Brownfield Action Project” is being developed this year to expand our recruitment, orientation, training, and preparation of historically underrepresented youth and young-adult residents of the Portland metro area. This project’s goals are to expose, involve, and build the capacity to secure and retain positions in environmental vocations, careers, and internships through Groundwork Portland’s green workforce training program. This project will build long-term capacity among the Portland metro area’s diverse and often underserved communities and empower them to participate fully in the region’s natural area restoration and protection activities. This project will integrate youth on the existing Green Team, many of whom are recurring participants, to gain educational credit, job skills and career knowledge, including the identification of contaminants in air, water, and ground; hands-on restoration natural areas, urban agriculture, landscaping design, project management, environmental justice and equity, and how to take a proactive role in the protection of their own health.

Objectives

Create opportunities for underserved populations in the Portland metro area, particularly youth most affected by socio-economic or environmental contaminants, to participate in experiential outdoor learning on public lands with environmental professionals, nutritionists, instructors, and farmers. These educational opportunities will raise awareness of the economic opportunity presented by continued study, employment, and careers in conservation related fields.

]]>Position Title: Community OrganizerHours: Full-timeCompensation: $15.00/hour with health benefitsPosition open until filled

OverviewGroundwork Portland is looking for a motivated and driven individual to coordinate grassroots programming that builds the power of communities affected by environmental injustices. The ideal candidate has a strong understanding of Groundwork Portland’s mission and values, is results oriented, and has substantial organizing experience.

Groundwork Portland is a non-profit organization that brings about sustainable, community-led improvement of the physical environment in low-income areas, while promoting environmental and social justice.

Position SummaryThis position is primarily responsible for coordinating the Portland Harbor Community Coalition. This project aims to raise the voices of communities who are most disproportionately at risk of negative health impacts from Willamette River contaminants and ensure that they are able to influence the final outcome of the Portland Harbor Superfund cleanup process. The position will support additional, overlapping projects as well.